We are the Diocese of Leeds: Writing prayers together at Trinity Academy, Halifax

Submitted by jane-bower on Wed, 10/05/2017 - 17:34

This week our latest film in our year long campaign to tell our story here in the Diocese of Leeds gives us a glimpse into a day in the life of a school chaplain at one of our 245 church schools and academies.

Marcus Bull is chaplain at Trinity Academy, Halifax, a co-ed school for pupils aged 11-19. For Marcus, his presence in the school - which achieved Outstanding in all areas from OFSTED in 2013 – means that faith is a visible daily presence and offers a real possibility for all its students - many of whom have little or no connection to a religion or a regular faith. The school has its own prayer, the Academy Prayer, which is prayed daily. It was written by former students with the help of Marcus some years ago and he wants the current students to rewrite it for their own time, to help them have a sense of ownership of it.

Trinity Academy prides itself on being a community, a family; with the Christian values of Empathy, Honesty, Respect and Responsibility at its core.

Schools and education are a crucial part of the Living, Loving and Learning ethos of this diocese - and at the heart of the Church of England which has been delivering free and inclusive education for over 200 years. Today over 1 million children and young people in England receive a high quality education through a Church school and the Church nationally continues to play a central and vital role in the education of the children of the country.

Our Director of Education, Richard Noake said: “Through our diocesan Church schools we educate over 64,000 children, employ over 3,000 members of staff and work alongside over 2,500 volunteer governors.

"The Diocesan Board of Education supports head teachers, teachers, school governors and local clergy to deliver hundreds of acts of Collective Worship every week in our schools.

"And every term we support highly effective teaching in Religious Education ensuring that children and young people have a deep understanding of the Christian tradition."